To help Broncos fans survive the month before the start of training camp, Mile High Sports asked 30 questions over 30 days leading up to the start of camp, and Broncos Country answered.

Here’s what Broncos Country is feeling heading into the 2016 season:

  1. Can the Broncos buck Brock on Monday Night Football?

Fans aren’t too worried about Brock Osweiler coming back to Denver in a Houston Texans uniform when they meet for a Week 7 Monday Night Football matchup. An overwhelming amount of readers have the Broncos winning big, while nearly the rest of the have Denver winning a close one. Not too many people believe Osweiler will escape Mile High with a victory. After all, the Broncos’ defense knows Brock better than anyone.

  1. Who will lead the Broncos in tackles during the 2016 season?

With Danny Trevathan, the Broncos’ leading tackler three out of the last four seasons, now a member of the Chicago Bears, it’s time for someone else to claim the top spot. According to the polls, readers believe that Brandon Marshall, fresh off a new deal, will take over as the leading tackler in 2016. Marshall, who led the Broncos in tackles in 2014, has the support of nearly every reader who voted in the poll.

  1. How many kicks will Brandon McManus miss in 2016?

It seems that Brandon McManus’ reliability down the stretch in 2015 has won over Broncos Country, and rightfully so. McManus was often the Broncos’ biggest offensive weapon when nothing else seemed to be going right on that side of the ball. According to the polls, a large majority of readers believe that McManus will only miss three kicks or less in 2015. That number would be an improvement on his 2015 campaign. He missed five field goals and one extra point during the 2015 Super Bowl season.

  1. Who will emerge as the No. 3 receiver to start the season?

Broncos Country is high on third-year receiver Bennie Fowler. Fowler, who made the team as an undrafted rookie out of Michigan State prior to the 2014 season, made quite the splash during the Super Bowl run. While fans have shown that they are high on Fowler, the polls also show that they are losing faith Cody Latimer, the Broncos’ 2014 second-round draft pick.

  1. How many sacks will the offensive line give up?

The 2015 Broncos offensive line wasn’t very good, but they ended up being good enough. Despite winning the Super Bowl, they still gave up a whopping 39 sacks in 2015, something that can’t happen again if the Broncos want to have any chance of repeating as Super Bowl champions. They have made the necessary moves to the improve on their 2015 campaign. The Broncos enter the 2016 season with almost a completely different offensive line. According to the poll, Broncos Country believes the offensive line will improve on their 2015 performance, but not by much.

  1. How will the Von Miller contract saga end?

Von Miller and the Broncos were locked into a heated contract dispute from the moment free agency started until the July 15 deadline. Fortunately for all parties involved, this question was answered before training camp kicked off and Broncos Country hit the nail right on the head. The readers knew back in early July that a long-term deal would get done.

  1. Which rookie will have the biggest impact in 2016?

The Broncos locked up their starting running back in March when they signed C.J. Anderson to a four-year, $18-million deal, but that didn’t stop Broncos Country from thinking that running back Devontae Booker will have the biggest impact in 2016. Up against three players who will compete for serious playing time, an overwhelming amount of fans believe that Booker will have a bigger impact than quarterback Paxton Lynch, defensive end Adam Gotsis and safety Justin Simmons.

  1. How many games will DeMarcus Ware play this season?

DeMarcus Ware’s back began to bother him in 2015. As a result, Ware missed five regular season games during the Super Bowl run. Prior to last season, Ware had only missed three total games during his entire career. The 33-year-old pass rusher hasn’t been able to fully shake the back injury that caused him so many problems last season. He was a very limited participant in OTAs earlier in the summer. According to Broncos Country, they aren’t expecting this year to be any different. They believe Ware will play between 11 and 15 games in 2016.

  1. When will Paxton Lynch see his first meaningful snap?

The Broncos moved up in the 2016 draft to select Paxton Lynch, presumably their quarterback of the future, with the 26th pick. While Lynch is their long-term plan, the Broncos traded for Mark Sanchez back in March and according to head coach Gary Kubiak, it looks like Sanchez will be the starter in Week 1, with Trevor Siemian as the backup and Lynch behind him. Lynch will have to take a meaningful snap eventually, and Broncos Country believes that snap will come sooner rather than later. According to the poll, Broncos Country believes Lynch’s first meaningful snap will come between Week 9 and Week 16.

  1. How many games will Aqib Talib miss this season due to suspension?

Aqib Talib had quite the offseason. According to a Dallas police report, Talib was shot once in the right leg on June 5, just one day before the Broncos’ trip to the White House to celebrate their Super Bowl 50 victory. Talib, who is lucky to come out of the incident physically unscathed, could wind up not as lucky when commissioner Roger Goodell and the NFL make the decision whether or not to suspend him for any portion of the 2016 NFL season. Regardless of the gunshot incident, the NFL has installed a new rule, slapping any player who receives two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties in a game will be suspended for the following game. Talib, as demonstrated in the Super Bowl, has somewhat of a reputation of mixing it up with the other team. Given that information, half of the members of Broncos Country who took part in the poll believe Talib will miss two to four games in 2016.

  1. Who will challenge Ronnie Hillman for the No. 2 spot?

The Broncos have a plethora of capable running backs on the roster heading into camp, but they will only keep so many, and only a select few will make the active roster. C.J. Anderson is the clear starter, but after that the roster is wide open. Ronnie Hillman and C.J. Anderson have been the clear-cut running back combo over the last few seasons, but with the new blood the Broncos have brought it that doesn’t seem to be the case anymore among the members of Broncos Country. The poll results revealed that an overwhelming amount of people believe that rookie Devontae Booker will challenge Ronnie Hillman for the No. 2 spot.

  1. How many touchdowns will Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders combine for in 2016?

Thomas and Sanders only accounted for 12 total touchdowns in 2015, a significant drop from the 23 that they scored in 2014. While a large majority of that number could be attributed to the poor quarterback play that the Broncos experienced in 2015, the numbers are considerably low for two Pro Bowl-quality receivers. Although the two will be catching passes from a new quarterback in 2016, it seems unlikely that Thomas and Sanders will have back-to-back seasons with low touchdown totals, and Broncos Country agreed. While the poll revealed that people don’t believe that the tandem will have as good a season as they had in 2014, 62 percent believe that 2016 will land somewhere in between the two seasons.

  1. Who will be this year’s Malik Jackson for the Denver Broncos?

Defensive end Malik Jackson saw his breakout season in 2015 lead to a six-year, $85.5 million contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars when free agency rolled around. Jackson, who emerged as one of the many stars on the historic Denver defense in 2015, did so in his fourth year with the Broncos and in the NFL. With Jackson gone, it opens up the spotlight for another player to step in and show what they can do in 2016, but who? According to the poll, Broncos Country thinks Shaquil Barrett will have a breakout season in his third year, much like Jackson did in his fourth.

  1. How many interceptions will the “No Fly Zone” produce?

The “No Fly Zone,” arguably the best secondary in the National Football League, will be a pivotal part in Denver’s quest to repeat as Super Bowl champions in 2016. According to the poll, the majority of Broncos Country isn’t confident that the “No Fly Zone” will be as good in 2016, just edging out the 33 percent of fans that believe the “No Fly Zone” will have a slightly better year in the interception department than last year.

  1. Can anyone match Aaron Brewer’s perfection?

The Denver Broncos made the decision to release four-year long snapper Aaron Brewer back in March for financial reasons. Brewer, who was the definition of a perfect long-snapper while with the Broncos, has found a spot on the Chicago Bears roster heading into training camp. According to Broncos Country, the majority of people don’t believe that anyone of Brewer’s potential replacements will be able to replicate the success that Brewer experienced with the Broncos.

  1. Which free agency loss will hurt the most?

In 2016, the Broncos saw many of their key players leave for better deals when the free agency period began. Unlike years past, the Broncos seem to have lost more than they have gained. When posed with the question, who will the Broncos miss most in free agency, almost half of Broncos Country that voted in the poll responded by saying they believe Malik Jackson will end up being missed the most.

  1. Can the offense stop giving the ball away?

Despite winning Super Bowl 50, the Broncos’ offense was less than stellar. Aside from not being able to score a ton of points, the offense had trouble holding onto the ball as well. Peyton Manning and Brock Osweiler threw for a combined 23 interceptions in 2015, but with both of them gone will the number of total turnovers decrease? Broncos Country seems to think so. According to the poll, Broncos Country thinks that the Broncos will turn the ball over between 15 and 19 times in 2016.

  1. Who will lead the Broncos in touchdowns this year?

It’s apparent that Broncos Country doesn’t have a lot of faith in the reigning touchdown leader. According to the poll, Broncos Country thinks C.J. Anderson, fresh off his four-year, $18 million deal, is primed to lead the team in touchdowns in 2016. Gary Kubiak has made it clear that the Broncos are going to run, and run often, meaning 2016 could be a big year for Anderson. While Anderson received 47 percent of the votes, the reigning touchdown leader Ronnie Hillman only received two percent of the votes.

  1. Which of these veterans should keep his job over a lower-priced option?

After finally agreeing to terms with Von Miller in July, the Broncos are going to be looking to save money in any way they can. Unfortunately for some underperforming veterans, that likely means that they will not have a job in a few weeks. It seems that last season has Broncos Country buying into defensive players, and the poll results reflect just that. A sizable 41 percent of voters think that defensive end Vance Walker should keep his job over a cheaper option, while only 13 percent of voters think that Ronnie Hillman should keep his.

  1. Who will lead the team in sacks?

This one really shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone. A full 83 percent of readers that voted believe that the Broncos’ $114.5 million man, Von Miller will lead the team in sacks for the third consecutive season. Derek Wolfe received eight percent of the votes, second behind Miller, for the largest margin in any of the 2016 poll questions.

  1. What will the Broncos record be through the first three weeks of the 2016 season?

The Broncos will attempt to repeat as Super Bowl champions in 2016, but in order to do that they will be put through the gauntlet during their first three weeks of the season. The Broncos will open the season at home with back-to-back home games against the Carolina Panthers and the Indianapolis Colts before heading to Cincinnati for a game against the Bengals in Week 3. All three opponents are playoff caliber teams, but that doesn’t seem to bother Broncos Country – 56 percent of voters believe that the Broncos will go 2-1 to start the season.

  1. How many sacks will Khalil Mack have against the Broncos in 2016?

Khalil Mack ran wild on the Broncos during their second meeting of 2016, racking up five sacks in one half of one game. Other than that, the Broncos have done a respectable job at keeping Mack contained. It seems highly unlikely that Mack will ever have that type of performance against the Broncos again. Broncos Country seems to think the same way, as 36 percent of readers believe that the Broncos will hold Mack between two and four sacks in 2016. Despite the fact that the Broncos have upgraded their offensive line, 18 percent of readers believe that Mack will have more than six sacks against the Broncos this season.

  1. How many rushing yards will C.J. Anderson have in 2016?

Broncos Country seems to think that 2016 will finally be the year that C.J. Anderson gets over the 1,000-yard hump. Anderson, despite making the Pro Bowl in 2014 and helping the Broncos win a Super Bowl, has yet to achieve his first 1,000-yard rushing season in the National Football League. Anderson signed a four-year, $18-million deal in March, all but guaranteeing him the starting job. The Broncos offense is going to be run heavy in 2016, and with a new offensive line, 61 percent of readers believe that Anderson will rush for somewhere between 1,000 and 1,499 yards in 2016.

  1. Which road opponent poses the biggest upset threat?

The Jacksonville Jaguars have made moves over the last few seasons that have them looking great on paper. The moves have caught the attention of Broncos Country, largely because of two of Denver’s biggest free agents in the last three seasons chose to head down to Jacksonville. Of readers who voted in the poll, 41 percent believe that Jacksonville has the best chance of upsetting the Broncos on the road this season. The Broncos will find out in Week 13.

  1. How many passing yards will Mark Sanchez have in 2016?

Assuming Mark Sanchez is in fact the starting quarterback in 2016, Broncos Country seems to be behind him. Thirty-one percent of readers who voted in the poll believe Sanchez will throw for at least 3,000 yards in 2016, something he has he has only accomplished twice and hasn’t done since 2011. Sanchez certainly has the weapons to accomplish the feat, but can he actually get it done?

  1. Will Phil Simms finally show the Broncos some love in 2016?

Broncos fans have a noted dislike for Phil Simms, specifically for his doubt and criticism of the team through the years. They suffered through listening to Simms and Jim Nantz call all three of the Broncos playoff games in 2016, and will likely hear much of the same in 2016. Having just witnessed them win a Super Bowl will Simms finally show the Broncos some love in 2016? Broncos Country doesn’t seem so positive – 67 percent of readers say that Simms won’t come around in 2016, but they are fine with Jon Gruden’s praises anyway.

  1. How many wins will it take for the Broncos to win the AFC West?

The AFC West has been getting stronger over the last few seasons. While the Broncos are searching for their sixth consecutive AFC West title in 2016, it doesn’t look like it will be a walk in the park by any means. Broncos Country seems to think that it will take about the same amount of wins it has taken over the last few seasons to win the AFC West once again; 67 percent of readers think that the Broncos will win the AFC West with a 12-win season.

  1. Who would the Broncos have the best chance of beating on the road in the playoffs?

Despite losing to the Bengals in Cincinnati last time the Broncos played there, Broncos Country believes that the Broncos would have the best chance of winning there on the road in the playoffs if that’s the way the cards fall. Interestingly enough, Broncos Country is more confident that the Broncos could go into New England in January and beat the Patriots than going into Pittsburgh and beating the Steelers.

  1. Which team poses the biggest threat for a return trip to the Super Bowl?

Broncos fans know better than to look past the New England Patriots. According to the poll, 65 percent of readers that voted think that the Patriots pose the biggest threat to derail a repeat trip to the Super Bowl. Surprisingly enough, the fans voted Oakland Raiders as the second team most likely to hurt the Broncos chances at repeating as Super Bowl champions.

  1. What is the biggest key to the 2016 Broncos season?

 

A combination of four components came together at the same time for the Broncos in 2015, helping them to their third Super Bowl championship. While a motivated Von Miller, a healthy defense, cutting back on the turnovers and a superb kicking game did the trick in 2015, we asked Broncos Country what they thought the answer would be in 2016. Limiting turnovers will be the key to a successful season in 2015 according to 59 percent of voters. While the next-closest answer was a healthy defense, fans believed that keeping Von Miller happy in 2016 isn’t a priority anymore now that he’s $114.5 million richer.